The decision by the US authorities to give Kenya security and safety clearance for non-stop flights will bolster investment flows from the world's largest economy, state officials have said.
Transport CS James Macharia announced last Thursday the Federal Aviation Administration had finally granted the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport category one status after sustained investments to expand the airport's capacity and enhance its air safety.
The approval of the JKIA followed a successful audit to ascertain it met the standards set by International Civil Aviation Organisation – the UN agency that sets standards for international air transport.
Treasury CS Henry Rotich said the move will lead to increased tourists from the US in the coming years, subject to to the Kenya Airways getting codeshare deal with US airlines.
“We have in the past used various airlines to deliver our goods to the US market but with the non-stop flights this will change,” he said in Naivasha, adding that sectors such horticulture will also be key beneficiaries.
The value of imports from the US dropped 187.20 per cent to Sh43.89 billion last year from Sh126.05 billion recorded in 2015, data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics shows. Exports, on the other hand, rose 7.57 per cent to Sh43.47 billion from Sh40.41 billion.
"This achievement is an important milestone for Kenya-US bilateral relations. Both countries have maintained numerous and diverse areas of partnerships and cooperation in security, exports and imports as well as tourism,” Vision 2030 director-general Julius Muia said. “We expect more direct investments from the US Government, companies and most importantly, Kenyans in diaspora.’’
Following the approval, Macharia directed Kenya Airways to “immediately apply for approval to codeshare with US airlines while concurrently pursuing approval for direct flights”.
The national carrier, owned 29.8 per cent by the state, has said it will “immediately” start the process of flying passengers directly to the US, but was quick to caution this may take time.
“Our first priority now is to pursue codeshare arrangements with our partners in the Skyteam Alliance,” KQ's outgoing chief executive Mbuvi Ngunze said on Friday. “This will enable us to sell tickets to and from any US State and drive revenues directly to us.”
Kenya will become the ninth country in Africa to operate direct flights to the US. The others are Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Morocco and Ethiopia.
Delta Air Lines was in June 2009 denied permission to fly from Atlanta to Nairobi, with a stop at Dakar, over security concerns.